Twee ronde tafels 1772 - 1779

These designs for 'Two round tables' were made by Pierre Gabriel Berthault, probably in the late 1700s, using engraving on paper. This was a period of transition in furniture making, when handcraft was beginning to give way to mechanized processes. The material quality of these designs lies in the detailed linework, carefully incised to suggest the textures and forms of the tables, like the marble top. The process of engraving allowed for multiple reproductions, making these designs accessible to a wider audience of furniture makers and consumers. The tables themselves would have required skilled labor in wood carving, turning, and possibly stone cutting for the tops. Such furniture was made for a rising middle class with more disposable income. The very fact of this design being printed underscores a shift in the consumption and production of design: moving away from unique, bespoke objects toward standardized forms that could be more easily replicated. This piece invites us to consider the social and economic forces shaping design and craft in the late 18th century.